The Land That Never Was
by Zero'sLittleVampire
Summary: Sword Art Online has become tiresome for Kirito, and he just wants to get out and live life. But what happens when he finds a secret realm that was never supposed to exist? And when he meets one of the fellow inhabitants, Sakura, he finds out that not only is their world in grave danger, but so is the rest of the game! Plus, she is somehow connected with Kirito from the real world.
1. Lone Wolf

The game was never-ending.

It was true. It seemed that the end of the game was nowhere in sight. Everybody was either getting killed or just giving up completely. To end the game, someone had to make it to the top floor and destroy the hardest boss of them all. No progress had been made in the past two years. There had been attempts, but they weren't all that significant, and didn't really help the cause at all. Players were dying at every floor. It was devastating. All players wished that the madness would stop soon, and that one courageous soul would brave the last floor. Everyone had an idea on who this player might be. He traveled alone, but he was very, VERY powerful. This player was Kirito.

Kirito was walking alone on floor 65, wandering aimlessly. He didn't know where he was going, or what he was supposed to be accomplishing. He was too tired to think straight, having had a full day of slaying dungeon monsters. His arms ached, and his legs burned. He wanted to rest, truly he did, but he knew that the weight of completing the game was firmly placed on his shoulders. Every player was counting on him. He never had responsibilities like this back in reality. He didn't even think he was that significant to society in the real world. He was just a dot in the middle of a bunch of other dots; a normal boy. His classmates would say that he was the "nerd" of the class.

What sounded good to him at that moment was a full-course meal. He didn't really care what it included, as long as it could fill his belly. Just thinking about delving-in to a well-deserved meal caused his stomach to rumble. He held his hands to his tummy, letting out a groan. He had to stop thinking about food; otherwise his stomach would eat itself. He knew he had small rations in his inventory, but he wanted something other than bland food. He wanted something that would make his mouth water when spotting it, but he was just kidding himself. He didn't have time to stop and eat, anyway; he had to move on to the next floor.

As he moved along, he failed to spot the figure that was following him from behind. "Hey! Kirito!" it called, waving a hand in the air.

Kirito stopped and turned around to face his stalker. He let out a sigh as he realized, to his dismay, who it was. "What do you want, Klein?" he grumbled.

He and Klein had been acquaintances, as far as Kirito was concerned. Apparently, Klein thought of them as friends, "buddies". Kirito didn't want to get attached to anyone. He was strictly a solo-player. Joining a party was the last thing he wanted to do. Other party members might slow him down, and plus, he didn't want to be the one responsible for their demises, which would likely happen.

Klein ran up to him and punched his shoulder. "How've you been? I haven't seen you in a while!"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Same old, same old…" he replied, raising a hand in the air to exaggerate his point. "Trying to stay alive."

Klein nodded. "I hear you." He rested his hands on his hips. "It wouldn't be AS hard if you joined a party."

Kirito glared at him, a frown appearing on his face. "You know very well that I'm more of a solo-player," he scoffed. "It bugs me when other players ask me to join their party. It's happened so many times, I've lost count."

It was true; so many other players have asked him to join their party, knowing that as he beat dungeon bosses, they would have the potential to earn the reward. That and they could always cower away from fights, and let him do all the work. Kirito didn't want to get into all the sappy-emotional stuff that parties went through. Being alone was good, even if he had a greater chance of getting killed. He didn't have to worry about the drama, or the chance that a fellow player would get killed in plain sight.

Klein let out a sigh. "Sorry, man. I just wanted to make sure you didn't change your mind, you know?"

Kirito nodded his head, understanding what he was trying to achieve. "Yeah I know. It was a smart idea, but too bad it didn't work." He turned so his back was facing Klein. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to the next floor."

"Well hang on a second!" Klein ran to his side. "Maybe I could just walk with you there! No party needed!"

Kirito raised an eyebrow and glanced at the red-headed nuisance. "Now why would I want to do that?" He crossed his arms. "Other players would think that I joined a party. It would give me a bad reputation."

Klein looked at him with a stunned look. "Really?" He then pointed out towards the rest of the area, obviously indicating that there were no other players around. He was right, for once. No other players were in sight; not even on the radar. Why was the floor so desolate? Maybe the players retreated to a different floor…

Kirito sighed. "Fine," he groused, beginning to walk forward. "Just… don't act like we're in a party, okay?"

"Can do!" he responded, following Kirito forward.

The two trekked on for miles, winding up in a small forest. Each step was more tiresome then the last. Kirito began to wonder if they should take a break, seeing as how the sky was now pitch black. The sudden sound of crickets chirping soon hit his ears, giving him the answer he was sort-of hoping for. He stopped and looked towards Klein.

"We'll stop here for now," he said, sitting down on a log that was lying across the ground.

Klein collapsed on the ground, not bothering to find a place to sit. To him, the ground was comfortable enough. "Finally…" he panted. "Man, you must have lots of energy, Kirito… I feel like dying…"

Kirito glared at him irritably. "Don't say that, it just might happen." He looked up towards the sky, watching as a shooting star shot by. "Well… look at that. Better make a wish, Klein."

"Nah, you saw it first," he muffled, lifting a hand in the air. "I'm just gonna sleep here tonight." It didn't take long for him to start snoring.

Kirito looked up to where the star had vanished, closing his eyes. He already knew what he was going to wish for; to escape the blasted game. He wanted to be able to see his mother, and his younger sister. He wanted to let them know he was alright, and tell them about all the hell he had been through. He missed them a lot. He couldn't stand being away from them for this long. He just hoped that he wouldn't die in the game; otherwise he would never be able to see them.

He quickly opened his eyes as a shadow shot past him. It appeared to be another player, but something was oddly strange about them. He stood up, keeping a hand on his sheathed-sword cautiously. He began running after it, wondering if it really was a player, or if it was a monster. He kept running deeper and deeper into the forest, attempting to catch up to the figure, but he soon reached a dead-end. All that stood in front of him was a large, legitimately fat oak tree. He held a hand to his chin sardonically. Where the heck did this thing go? It couldn't have just walked through the tree… or could it have?

Kirito reached a hand forward, slowly and cautiously. His hand then vanished through a wave-like portal. He reeled back, startled. Then again, this could be expected in the game, but this? He had never heard about this, even though he was a beta-tester. He was SUPPOSED to know about this. Had it been kept secret, or was this something that was JUST created? He debated whether or not he should cross through. Who knows what would happen? He might just get ambushed and killed. It was worth the shot. He proceeded forward through the portal, leaving Klein behind to snore the night away.

What was on the other side left Kirito speechless. It was a lush forest, the sun shining radiantly through the treetops. There were wildflowers everywhere, almost every color imaginable. He couldn't help but chuckle in amazement. "Why the heck would anyone not tell me about this?" he said to himself. "This is amazing!" He looked around, feeling safe for the first time in many months. There didn't appear to be any monsters. This was a miracle. Maybe there was even some food nearby.

Kirito began walking along a path, looking around to see if there was anything he could possibly hunt down to eat, although he wasn't really a good cook, so he would have to eat it raw. Something then caught his eye. He looked up in one of the trees, and was astounded at what he saw. It was a girl, with large fluffy ears and a long tail. Her hair was dark red, and her eyes were icy blue. She was staring at Kirito intently, as if she were waiting for him to say something. Before he could open his mouth, a tall young man with black hair walked out from behind the tree, holding a sword in his hands. Just like the girl, he had fluffy ears and a tail, which was bushed up angrily. He bared his fangs and spat at Kirito.

"Leave now!"


	2. Intruder

Kirito stood frozen in place, debating whether or not he should engage in a duel, or try to talk things out. He didn't always like to participate in duels; he would normally do so if the situation required it. Positions like this left him torn. He had no idea what this strange being would do to him; he could possibly kill him. He had to take that chance. "H-hang on a second!" he stuttered, holding his hands up. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves!"

The young man looked over him with narrowed eyes, approaching him cautiously. This young man was a definite outsider, he could tell by his looks. "You're from out there. You shouldn't be here."

"Out there?" Kirito instinctively brought a hand to his sword as the stranger drew nearer. Adrenaline began pumping through his blood as he assumed he would be engaging in a duel. "What are you talking about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about, outsider," he spat as he spotted the outsider's threatening stance. He raised his sword into the air, preparing to strike.

"Kazuma, stop!" shouted the girl from the tree, who jumped down from her post. She approached the two, her eyes adjusting to the light. Kirito finally got a clear look at her. She was rather short, maybe five foot three, and her hair fell down just past her shoulders. The fur on her ears and tail were dark brown, and she wore ordinary clothing, just as if she were a regular player. As she approached the male, she caressingly wrapped her tail around his. "I'm sure he doesn't mean any harm."

Kazuma looked down at the girl, slightly calming down. "Sakura, you know how dangerous this is," he said, lowering his sword.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders and looked towards Kirito, giving him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about my brother," she spoke softly. Her ears folded back a tad, which was her way of showing that she was sorry. "He's a little overprotective." Kazuma let out a 'hmph', but didn't attempt to make a witty comeback to his sister. He didn't want to make himself look like a little kid. Sakura gave him a smile before bounding up to Kirito. "My name's Sakura, and that's my brother Kazuma," she announced as she pointed back at the silent young man.

Kirito blinked, confused out of belief. They appeared to look like regular players, aside from the ears and tails. But what got him thinking was the fact that neither of them had an HP gauge. He then went into his main menu, hoping that he could see his, but shockingly, his gauge was gone. He didn't ponder on the thought too much; he had so many questions he had to ask, but first, he had to introduce himself. "I'm Kirito," he said. Then without thinking, he opened his mouth. "What is this place?"

Kazuma sheathed his sword, giving Kirito a steely glare. He didn't like this guy already. "It's best that you don't know," he growled.

Sakura rounded back to her brother and punched his shoulder roughly, laughing as she did so. "Be nice!" she scolded. She walked back over to Kirito. "We'll have to talk in private." She grabbed a hold of Kirito's sleeve and began tugging him along the trail, trekking deeper and deeper into the stunning forest. Kazuma followed them, keeping his attention on his younger sister. As the three marched on, Kirito spotted a beautiful waterfall that fell into a small, clear pond. Sakura smiled at him.

"We'll talk behind the waterfall," she said, still dragging Kirito along. Kirito was a little embarrassed that he was being dragged by a girl this size. He didn't want to be rude, though. They both soon ran through the waterfall. Kazuma cautiously looked from side to side; making sure no one was around. He didn't want anyone knowing about this. He stepped through the waterfall without having another thought about it. The interior was a small cave, white flowers dotted around in various spots. Sakura shook her head violently, attempting to dry herself, while her brother did the same. Kirito didn't really mind being wet.

Kazuma sat down on a nearby rock, his sheathed-sword clanking against the ground. "Sakura can explain everything to you," he huffed. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, keeping his ears perked so he could still keep a watchful sense on his sister.

Sakura sighed and drooped her ears slightly. "Sorry about him. He's a man of little words." She pulled her legs in towards her body and wrapped her tail around herself, signaling that she was defensive. "So… what are you wanting to know exactly?"

Kirito folded his legs inward and placed his hands in his lap. "Well… I have a lot to ask, but I want to know what this place is."

Sakura nodded in acknowledgment. "The Land That Never Was," she answered vaguely. Naturally, she expected Kirito to be confused, and she was right. His head was tilted and his eyes were slightly wide.

"Wait… I'm confused," he muttered. "This place is called The Land That Never Was?"

"Yeah," she replied. "You're probably wondering why so I'll tell you." She crossed her arms and took in a breath. "Well, you see, there's this long story to go along with this. I guess you could say it started back when the game first started. All players thought that this would be a fun game, right? Well then they found out that it was a death trap. Everyone wanted out." Her ears twitched nervously as she heard slight movement, but it was only Kazuma shifting his weight on the rock. She resumed her storytelling. "There were many of us that wanted to explore and try to see if there was some sort of flaw in the game that could help us to escape. We searched and searched, but with every passing floor, it seemed that there was no other way to get out other than reaching the hundredth floor. It didn't take us that long to reach floor 65. When we did, we explored the woods, thinking that maybe there was something there. Other players in our group had lost hope, but I didn't. I kept looking, until we reached the end of the forest. It didn't feel right to me. There had to be some sort of flaw, and I was right. I reached my hand out to touch the fat oak tree and my hand disappeared. I was startled at first, but then my body collapsed of exhaustion. I was so happy at that moment. I called to everybody and we all entered."

Kirito stared at Sakura in amazement. "So… this place was never supposed to exist?" he asked. No wonder why he didn't know; it must have been a glitch in the game that every programmer overlooked.

She nodded as her response. "We're hoping that we can somehow overthrow the creators and escape the game somehow, without having to reach the hundredth floor."

He couldn't help but stare wonderingly at her. Her face showed a true sign of determination. She wanted out, badly; he could tell. He felt the same exact way. Sakura noticed that he was staring and she cleared her throat.

"Was there anything else you wanted to ask?"

Kirito nodded. "Why do you guys have ears and tails?"

She giggled. "I knew you would ask something like that." She waved her tail around and wiggled her ears. "You know how they took away the power to look like your avatar, right?"

He looked over himself and nodded. He looked like his regular, nerdy self. "Right."

She smiled. "Think of it this way. The creators have no control over this realm, since they don't even know that it exists." She grabbed a hold of her tail. "So we all still look like our avatars, and since we all are a part of the same cause, we all have ears and tails, to signal that we are a party."

Kirito looked at her, clearly astounded. "So you're telling me I can become my avatar right now?" He let out a small gasp as she nodded her head. "Mind if I try?"

Kazuma snarled, which caused Kirito to jump. "There will be none of that! Not unless you want to get killed!"

Sakura swerved around and let out a loud screech, "SHUT UP, IDIOT! The whole realm will come running if you scream like that!" Kazuma let out a low growl, but didn't respond. Sakura sighed and looked back at Kirito. "I'm afraid it's too risky to do that. You'll risk getting caught by the other players here." She looked towards the waterfall. "The players here are all on edge, anyway. The realm is in grave danger."

Kirito looked at her. "What? But I thought it was a flaw."

"It is," Kazuma said, interjecting into the conversation. "But you can't expect the programmers to not know about it. They'll find out eventually, and when they do, they will kill us all." He glared at Kirito hard. "That's why you shouldn't be here. You're a danger to us. If you tell a single soul about us then we will perish. Who knows… maybe you will too, for having associated with us."

Kirito gulped then stared at Kazuma, his gaze indicating he would hold his ground firmly. "I tend to keep this secret." He looked back at Sakura. "Because I want out, just like you guys."

Sakura gave him a smile. "Thank you very much, Kirito."

He nodded. "Also, I have one more question to ask right now." He opened his main menu. "Why are your HP gauges not appearing?"

Kazuma growled. "We don't want anyone seeing how powerful we really are."

"But what about me?" Kirito asked, standing up quickly. "My gauge is gone too!"

Sakura looked at him, stunned. "What?" She stood up and strode up to him, glancing at his main menu that was still open. To her surprise, his HP gauge was nowhere to be found. She looked up at him. "This is rather strange…"

Kazuma approached them and stared at the open menu. He let out a growl and turned swiftly, heading for the mouth of the waterfall. "I'm going to get Ai."

Sakura swerved to face him. "I thought you said you wanted to keep this a secret!"

Kazuma stopped just before hitting the water. He turned his head and flattened his ears angrily. "The rest of the players must know about him. This is a serious matter now, Sakura. Stay in here." He then jumped through the fall and began running through the forest.

Sakura looked at Kirito, shifting on her feet nervously. "I… I don't know what to do now…" Her ears flattened against her head. "This has never happened before."

Kirito stared at her, clearly confused on what was going on. "What? What's wrong?" He looked over himself nervously. "Is there something wrong with me?"

She shook her head. "No… but… you…" she hesitated, looking at the mouth of the waterfall again. She couldn't let any other player hear her, not yet at least. She looked back at him, her eyes full of worry. "You… you already belong to this realm."


	3. Sibling Rivalry

Kazuma stood at the entrance to Ai's domain, his heart racing wildly. It had only taken him two minutes to sprint to her house from the falls. He was a pretty fast runner. He had gotten many suspicious glares from the other players while running to Ai's home. He was growing more nervous with each second that went by. He only wanted to tell Ai about Kirito; the other players would have to wait. A low growl emanated from within his throat and his black ears laid flat on his head.

"Ai! Come out here!" he shouted, sounding like a commanding officer. From within the house he could hear objects falling and glass breaking.

"Shit!" came a loud yell from the house. There were then hard footsteps heading towards the door. A young lady with wavy, white hair opened the door quickly, glaring at Kazuma with her icy blue eyes. "Look what you've made me do!" She pointed to the fallen tray of tea cups and goodies. "I've spilled my dessert AND you made me cuss!"

Kazuma let out a 'hmph'. She was always like this; bratty and annoying. "I can't believe you're my sister. You're way too proper." He entered the house, avoiding the overturned tray.

"Hey, I decided to play this silly game with you and Sakura, didn't I?! And look at the mess it has gotten us into!" She shut the door quietly and let out a sigh. "What did you want anyways?"

Kazuma watched as she began picking up the mess on the floor. "Actually, I wanted to take you somewhere," he said, his voice rather quiet.

Ai looked at him, a twisted look on her face. Something was up; he never wanted to go anywhere with her. He would rather spend his time with Sakura. "This is unusual." She carefully picked up the glass and threw it away in the nearby trash bin. "Normally you'd want to hang out with Sakura."

"I already am," he pointed out, slightly guilty. "We need to show you something."

At his words, Ai tensed up. "Of course you're with her." She gave him a hard glare. "Where would you be taking me?"

"Behind the falls." He knelt down beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "And I'm always with Sakura because she's still young. I need to keep an eye on her."

Ai knew it was true. Sakura was only sixteen, and she was twenty. Kazuma was older than them both, being twenty-five. He was Sakura's protector. Ai knew that she and Sakura never had an outstanding relationship. She never had any interest in getting to know her younger sister. She shut her out of her life as soon as their parents divorced.

Ai snorted and then stood up. "Fine, I'll go, but there better not be any stupid shenanigans." Her pure white ears twitched with slight annoyance. "This better be worth my time."

Kazuma stood and nodded, slightly hoping this would give her a chance to get closer with Sakura. "Alright, let's go then." He began walking out of the house, stopping at the doorframe to glare at his sister. She never really was a good listener, so he had to make sure she would actually follow him. "Coming?"

"Of course!" Ai strode right past him, her steps quick, as if she were trying to avoid him. Kazuma flattened his black ears against his head and let out a sigh as he followed after her.

* * *

><p>Kirito stared at Sakura in disbelief as she spoke the words. "A-are you serious?" he stuttered, holding a hand to his head. Surely this wasn't true; it couldn't be true. He had never been here before, so how could he already be a part of the realm?<p>

Sakura just stared at him, her eyes still wide. Her body trembled slightly. "I-I'm sorry… I don't know any more then that…" Her ears flattened against her head. "I-I'm awfully sorry, Kirito…" Her eyes quickly darted from side to side. Kirito could sense that she was hiding something, but he didn't know what.

"Is there something else that you know?" he asked, slowly beginning to become angered. He watched as she looked at him for a second and then at the ground. He moved closer to her, getting into her personal space. "I asked you a question, Sakura."

Sakura became panicked. "I… I-it's not about this!" she squeaked, bringing her trembling hands together. "I…" She choked a little on her words. Her tail was slightly bushed up and her pupils were almost invisible. "I know you…"

Kirito stared at her, slightly puzzled. "Of course you do, we just met not long ago."

She shook her head. "That's not what I meant, Kirito." She brought her hands into the pockets of her pants. "I… I know who you are… outside of the game…"

He took a step back, startled. "What?"

Sakura nodded her head, her ears flattening in shame. "We… we're in the same class, Kirito…" She rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner…"

"You must be joking," he laughed, thinking that she was just pulling his leg. "I've never seen you in my class before."

Sakura gave him a hard glare, tears in the corners of her eyes. "You never see me because I'm always in the back… I'm the loner; the one that everyone picks on… Didn't you ever hear those kids laughing and cackling?"

Kirito was about to make another comment before realization came upon him like a wave of water. She was right. He had heard students in his class laughing and chortling like maniacs before, but he never knew why. Now he did. He felt like a jerk, having made her cry. He cleared his throat and looked to the side.

"I, um… if it helps, I remember now… kind of…" He set his hands on his hips and looked down at her. "Why did you never approach me? I could have helped you out, you know." Before Sakura opened her mouth, the waterfall suddenly froze and turned to ice. Kirito stared at the fall in confusion. Sakura simply let out a sigh.

"Here it comes…" she grumbled, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. The ice then gave way, and Kazuma and Ai entered quickly. Ai stared at the stranger, her tail bushing up and her eyes widening.

"What on Earth?!" She glared at Sakura. "You dumb fool! What were you thinking?! Bringing an outsider here is suicide to us all!"

Kazuma rounded on her and stared at her hard. "Shut up and listen, why don't you?!" Ai let out a snort but didn't respond to him. She knew he was the dominant one, so she just backed off.

Sakura looked at Kirito and then glared at her not-so-close sister. "He came in here through the portal," she said quietly. She then perked her ears suddenly. "But his HP gauge is gone!"

Ai's eyes widened. "What?" She approached the stranger and glared at him. "You, open your menu." Kirito gulped and nodded, opening up the menu. Ai grit her teeth as she realized that Sakura had been right. She swerved to face her. "How could this have happened?!"

Kazuma towered over her, defending his youngest sister. "She doesn't know, and neither do I! He came like this! If we knew what was going on, we wouldn't have asked for you to join us!" His tail instantly bushed up heatedly. "You really need to stop being a jerk to her! She's never done anything to you!" Ai ignored his statement and glared at Kirito, her gaze piercing through his flesh.

"This is something serious, outsider. Will you keep this place a secret?"

Kirito nodded. "I promise, with all my heart." He looked towards Sakura, who was huddled close to Kazuma. "I will do anything to help you guys now."

Ai nodded her head and then began walking away. "Now, you need to leave for a little while."

Sakura looked at her. "But Ai! He just got here not long ago!"

"Do you want him to be safe or not Sakura?!" Ai shouted, her ears flattening. Sakura took a step back, nodding her head slowly. Kirito could see tears in the corners of her eyes again. He felt terrible that Ai kept putting her down so hard. What had happened between them? He didn't want her to get yelled at anymore, so he threw his foot down.

"Alright. I'll leave," he said. He looked towards Sakura as he saw her look at him with disbelief. He smiled at her and looked at Ai, his face serious. "I'll be back, though, to make sure that Sakura is alright." Sakura perked her ears, her tail stiffening. Kazuma glared at him, but didn't make a response. Ai sighed and nodded.

"Okay. Until then, please don't mention this place to anyone else on the outside," she said before running through the fall. Kazuma took a hold of Sakura's hand in his.

"Come on, we should let Kirito head back," he muttered as he began leading Sakura out of the cave. Sakura looked back at Kirito, staring into his eyes. Kirito looked back, managing to smile, although his heart sort of ached. Sakura gave him a small smile back as she and Kazuma jumped through the fall, leaving Kirito alone in the cave to trek back to the death-trap-of-a-game.


End file.
